European Union: We have noticed a slight improvement in the diplomatic front with Russia
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he had noticed a "slight improvement" on the diplomatic front with Russia during the G20 meeting in India. He pointed out that the Russian foreign minister remained in the meeting this time while Western countries condemned the Russian attack.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced Friday that he had noticed a "slight improvement" in diplomacy with Russia during the G20 meeting in India, despite the continued tension over Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke briefly with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, which concluded Thursday without issuing a joint statement.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between Blinken and Lavrov since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Borrell pointed out that the Russian foreign minister remained in the meeting room this time while Western countries condemned the Russian attack.
At a previous meeting of G20 nations in Indonesia last year, Lavrov walked out of a session with his counterparts while they were making statements condemning the attack on Ukraine.
"At least this time he stayed and listened. It's a small but important improvement," the EU's foreign policy chief said during the "Resina Dialogue" forum in New Delhi.
"I think it's better than nothing," Josep Borrell added, also indicating his opposition to Russia's exclusion from the G20.
He continued, "We must maintain the means of communication, or at least listen if we do not speak."
For his part, Sergey Lavrov, during his intervention at the "Resina Dialogue" forum on Friday, dealt with what he considered the desire of Western countries to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia.
During the meeting of the Group of Twenty, the Russian minister accused the West of pressuring developing countries to make them adopt a position opposing Russia.
"Who caused this problem?"
On the other hand, Borrell on Friday defended the idea of encouraging developing countries to oppose the war in Ukraine, stressing that he is aware of the repercussions of the conflict, especially the rise in basic food prices.
"I understand people from the countries of the south who say: 'Listen, we cannot afford the consequences of this war,'" the European official added.
And he added, "But look who are the culprits in this situation. Who caused this problem?", without mentioning Russia directly.
The G20 foreign ministers' meeting concluded Thursday without issuing a joint statement.
But India said in a separate statement that Russia and China were the only two countries that opposed the text including the need for Russian forces to withdraw from Ukraine.
In this context, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said on Friday, "For India to say that Russia and China are the only ones who disrupted the consensus, that is a message in itself," adding, "It is a diplomatic move."
Jolie also announced that she met Lavrov on Thursday and told him that "Russia must withdraw from Ukraine. Period."